Method of making wigs.



z. ZAK.

METHOD OF MAKING WIGS.

APPLICATION F|LEU MAR-2.19m.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

METHOD or MAKING WIGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

mama Sept. as, rain Application filed lviarch 2,1916. Serial No. 81,689.

, outside of a cap shaped frame made of textile fabric, usually bysewing the wefts thereto. are arranged in spaced and parallel hori-'zontal relation to each other and the hair falling downwardly coversthe seams and give the appearance of one continuous body of hair,resembling the natural growth of hair on the human scalp. The methodhith-- erto in use of making these separate wefts was to take aplurality of strands of cords, usually three in number and to interweavetufts of hair by braiding the strands of the cords upon the upper-endsof said tufts of hair. This method of making the wefts is slow andlaborious. I have devised a new method of making wefts which isexceednew method is superior inappearance and 40.

also more durable than the wigs made' up of 'weftsproduced by the oldmethod. Furthermore the new'improved wefts of hair are more durable, theends of the hair being The greater portion of the wefts,

making the weft, and the resulting weft and wig.

Figure l is a plan view of a sheet of tissue paper having a strip ofrubber tissue and a layer of hair placed thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan viewwith parts broken away of the same as shown in Fig. 1,.shcwing a secondsheet of tissue paper placed on top. Fig. 3 1s a plan View of the weftshown in Fig. 2, the tissue paper having been ripped oil after the stripof rubber tissue has been sewed and the short ends of the hair of theweft has been turned upon itself preliminary to sewing the second seam.Figs. 4, 5 and (i are vertical sections on an enlarged scale taken onlines M, 55, and 66 of Figs. 1, 2 and3, respectively. Fig. 7 shows theapplication of a hot pressing tool used for causing the folded strip ofrubber tissue and front elevation of a wig looking into the interior ofthe frame.

A sheet of paper preferably tissue paper 10 of a size to correspond tothe width of the weft desired and the length of the hair used is placedflat on a suitable support, such as a table. A narrow strip of rubbertissue 12 is placed transversely across the paper, about one half to oneinch from the right hand side of said sheet of paper. A layer of hair11, all of which is running in the same direction, is evenly distributedthereon as shown in Fig. 1, the rootends of.

the hair being on the right hand end ofthc tissue paper and projectingbeyond the strip tissue paper 13 of a size and shape to-corrspond to thesheet of tissue paper 11 isplaced on top of the hair. In the practicaloperation of the method, one operator will arrange a number of theseunits consisting of two sheets of tissue paper between which a layer ofhair is evenly arranged and which is provided with the strip. of rubbertissue as just described, and pile them one on top of the other until alarge stack is produced. An-

of rubber tissue 12. Then-another sheet of other operator will takethestack and pass '7 each unit under theneedle of a sewing machine, sewinga seam 14: along and through the strip of rubber tissue 12, the tissuepaper being sufficiently translucent to enable the in Fig. 6. The weftof hair is again passed under the needle of the sewing machine and asecond seam 17 is, made sewing the folded edges of said strip together.

The rubber tissue used in my method .is a commercial article used bytailors and dressmakers and is known under the name of rubber tissue.The same contains a large portion of rubber, and will, when heated,become soft and melt. While I use the rubber tissue described, it-willbeunderstood that any other suitable. stripof' material which is flexibleand which ma be sewed, and which has the property-ofusing when heated toa suitable temperature may be em-,

*ployed. 1 j

The next step in the process of my method is to subject the folded andsewn strip of rubber tissue to a hot pressing operation. For thatpurpose, I prefer to use a hot pressingtool shownin Fig. 5, whichconsists of a pair of fiat jaws, 18 pivoted together and manuallyoperated'by meansof handles-i9. The jaws of said tool-are heated .to asuitable temperature and applied to successive portions of the rubbertissue 12 throughout its length. This hot pressing operation will causethe rubber tissue to melt'or fuse and form one solid strip. 'By the hotpressing operation just described, the individual hairs are firmlyimbedded in said strip.

The wefts of hair produced as described are now sewed on a textile frame20 shown in Fig. 9 to form the wig. The wig thus made is superior to thewigs produced by the old "method in which the wefts are made by braidingstrands of cords together between.

which tufts or wisps of hainhave been interwoven, for the reason that myimproved weftshave the hair more evenly distributed.

1 Furthermore the hairs are firmly 'embedded' or set in therubbertissue.

- The principal object of this invention is to produce an improved weftby embedding individual hair in a strip of thin ilubberlike material.

While I. have shown the preferred method of producing wefts and wigs, itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes in thesteps of my method may be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of making wefts for wigs comprising unifonnlyspreading alayer of hair on a sheet of tissue paper, said tissue paper having astrip of rubber tissue placed transversely across and under said layerof hair, the root enuof said hair being on one side and pro ect ng for asmall distance beyond said strip offubber tissue, placing.

a second sheet of tissue paper over said layer of hair, sewing a seamthrough said sheets. and l1211I,Sa1d seam passing longitudinally throughsaid strip, tearingf off the sheets of tissue paper doubling the rootend of the layer of hair upon the long end thereof,

doubling the strip of rubber tissue upon itself, sewing the folded edgesof said rub ber tissue together and 'hot pressing said strip of rubbertissue to cause the folded portions to unite to. form: a solid strip.

which the hair is firmly embedded.

2. A method of making wefts for wigs comprising uniformly spreading alayer of hair on a sheetof paper, said paper having a strip of rubbertissue placed transversely across and under said layer of hair, the rootends of said hair'being on one side and projecting for a small distancebeyond said.

strip of rubber tissue, placing a second sheet of paper over said layerof hair, sewing a seam through said sheets and hair, said seam'passinglongitudinally through said strip, removing said sheets from the weft,

doubling the short end of the layer of hair upon the long end thereof,doubling. the strip of rubber tissue upon itself, sewing the foldededges of said rubber tissue together i and subjecting said strip to heatto form a solid strip in which the hair is firmly em bedded.

3. A method'of making wefts for wigs,

comprisingspread'ing a layer of hair trans versely of a strip ofmaterial fusible at ele-= vated temperatures so that the root ends ofsaid hair project on one side for a small dis-c tance beyond said strip,sewing a seam through said hair, said seam passing longi-.

tudinally through said strip, doubling the short 'end of the layer ofhair on the long.

end, doubling said strip upon itself, sewing the folded edges of saidstrip together, and;

subjecting the same to heat to cause the folded portionto 'unite'andfform a solid strip in which the hair is firmly embedded. 4. A methodof making wefts for wigs,

comprising uniformly spreading-a layer of hair transversely over a stripof rubber tissue so that the root ends of said hair project on one sidefor a small distance beyond said strip, sewing a seam through said hair,said seam passing'longitudinally through said strip; doubling the shortend of the layer of hair upon the long end, doubling the strip of rubbertissue upon'itself, sewing the folded edges of said rubber tissue 5. AWig comprisinga flexible frame'hav- ,ing a plurality of Wefts in whichthe root ends of the hair are firmly embedded in a thin solid strip ofmaterialfivhich is fusible at elevated temperatures.'- 1,

6 A wig comprising a flexible frame having a plurality of Wefts in whichthe root ends of the separate hairs are firmly ,embedded in a thin solidstrip of flexible material.

7. A Weft for Wigscomprising a layer of one side. and turned uponitself, the hair along the crease-being embedded in a single solid stripof flexible. material.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' ZAN ZAK.

Gale: a! this patent may be ebtalned i et five cents each, by sddreesiagthe "Commission: e8 Esteem,

' were, E. Q."

15 hair having the root end portion thereof on

